Santa Clara County CPS

[forthekids24]

I have sole physical custody and joint legal of DS with ex.

Ex has been in an abusive relationship for years.  DS sees a therapist on a regular basis.  DS admitted to therapist that Step-parent abuses him mentally and physically at Ex's house.

Therapist reports to CPS and they opened investigation in their county and in mine.  Their county never interviewed the Step-parent, only interviewed my EX.  My county interviewed son at my house and found consistency of his story with "other" investigations they had on file regarding step-parent.  CPS recommended that DS still go to Ex's house for week in summer, so they could interview him up there.

DS came home from Ex's with bruises on him and his head shaved.  (This is the Ex's way of retaliation, humiliating DS)  DS told me that Ex and Step parent held him down to shave his head, that is why he had the bruises.  I immediately called CPS in my county since the other case was still open and she told me to call if anything else happened.

DS told CPS on the phone what happened.  I took DS in to see the investigator this morning and DS has recanted the entire story, even told investigator that I instructed him to make up those lies about Ex's new spouse.

I am at a loss, I want to protect my son, but he seems to be completely programmed by Ex that anything "bad" that happnes at their house is a lie.

Questions
1) Next steps?  

2)I remember you recommending that a polygraph could help in proving innocence, would it help in this situation?

Thanks
FTK

[socrateaser]

>Questions
>1) Next steps?  

Polygraph.

>
>2)I remember you recommending that a polygraph could help in
>proving innocence, would it help in this situation?

If the kid will sit still for it, yes. Otherwise, the only credible testimony is the therapist. You could hide a tape recorder in the house and wait for the kid to start venting about the situation. Or, you could give the recorder to the child and tell him to keep it hidden and running if he thinks stepdad is on the warpath.

If you get the abuse on tape, you're golden.

Of course, this is potentially life threatening for the child if the stepparent finds the recorder in the child's possession. So, you'll have to evaluate the child's maturity -- which in my estimation isn't much, because the child should be able to say !@# my Step!@# -- he's going down.

Musing...

Apparently, the child doesn't believe you can protect him -- otherwise he'd talk, so maybe you need to work on this aspect of the child's self esteem.